Translator – Xiao He Lian
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Chapter 21.1
The date for Lu Yan’s undercover mission to Yangzhou was quickly set, on the 24th day of the eleventh lunar month.
Shen Zhen couldn’t believe it until she got on the carriage that he was actually taking her to Yangzhou.
Yangzhou…Yangzhou..she will be able to see Hong’er soon.
The carriage drove swaying southward and half an hour later, it arrived at the city gate.
Shen Zhen glanced outside, and she was reminded of some unpleasant memories.
This is Anhua Gate, the place where he caught her that night.
Looking back, the reason why she is still afraid of him was closely related to that day. The way he walked towards her from the wind and snow, like an envoy from the underworld.
Shen Zhen stared thoughtfully at the gate clearance order and forged household registration in her hand.
She couldn’t help but sigh: This is also a forged document, but it’s to serve the Emperor, so it can’t even be compared.
Lu Yan glanced at Shen Zhen, stretched out his hand and pinched her face, “I am doing official business, but you were on the run then.” Her thoughts are written all over her face.
Caught by him, Shen Zhen quickly averted her eyes and rubbed her face as if nothing had happened.
Since Lu Yan did not use his identity as the Heir Apparent of the Zhenguo Duke Mansion this time, they could only wait in a long line to wait to be released from the gate. After almost an hour, Lu Yan handed over the household registration.
On the household registration, there is a row of big characters clearly written – Wei Huan, the eldest son of Wei Family in Jiaying County, Jingzhou.
Created under the order of the Emperor, the fake household registration was naturally indistinguishable from the real one. Not to mention the font size, paper and ink, they were all consistent with the template of the Ministry of Household Affairs. Even the person Lian Wei really existed.
Not long after, they heard the officers outside shouting sharply: “Release.”
After leaving the city, Shen Zhen lifted the curtain of the carriage. Speaking of it, this was her first time out of Chang’an.
As the carriage traveled eastward, the scenery outside gradually changed. There were more mountains and rivers, more lakes, and even the air became fresher.
Lu Yan stared at Shen Zhen who almost had her head stuck out, and the corner of his mouth twitched and he stopped paying attention to her. She was only sixteen, so it was probably her first time out of the capital, so it was normal to be curious.
However, for Lu Yan, even a phoenix flying outside was not very attractive.
He pinched his eyebrows, closed his eyes, and rested for a while.
In the evening, Yang Zong raised the curtain and said: “Master, it’s really a bit far to take the official road. I think it would be better to take a shortcut by the Qijiang River in a while.”
Lu Yan thought for a moment, then vetoed: “The imperial court has been uneasy in the past two years. There are only about ten of us. If we encounter bandits, I’m afraid we will be delayed even longer. For the time being, we should take the official route and after going to Luoyang we can change to the waterway.”
So the journey continued.
When the sun set, they happened to reach the depths of the dense forest. Since there was no tea house nearby, Lu Yan ordered them to rest on the spot.
It was winter after all, and the night wind was very cold. Shen Zhen was clearly holding two hand stoves in her hands, but she still shivers from time to time.
Lu Yan looked sideways at her, fearing that she would get sick again on the road, so he took off his cloak and covered her body.
Shen Zhen’s beautiful eyes widened and she clutched the fur collar of the cloak, “My Lord…”
Before she could finish speaking, Lu Yan pinched her throat gently with two fingers.
His strength was neither light nor heavy, just rubbing it again and again, with a strong sense of warning.
“Did you forget what I told you last night?” Lu Yan whispered.
Shen Zhen was shocked by his dangerous and upward trailing voice and her memory instantly returned.
He said: Once you leave Chang’an, you should never be called “My Lord” again.
Lu Yan continued to rub the slender snow-white neck in front of him, “What should you be calling me as?”
If you take off the shoes and socks on Shen Zhen’s feet at this time, you will find that her ten jade-white toes have all been curled up nervously.
Her cheeks were crimson, and it was as if there was a touch of gold between her vermilion lips.
But under the pressure of his heavy gaze, she could only follow him and say, “Master.” Such a title simply made Shen Zhen’s voice even more coy.
Lu Yan asked again, “Do you remember this time?”
Shen Zhen whispered, “I understand.”
This is because Wei Huan of Jingzhou is already married and has children and Shen Zhen does not speak the dialect.
Her identity this time was that of the concubine “Wei Huan” had just bought in Chang’an.
The night was getting darker and Shen Zhen leaned on the side and slowly fell asleep.
Lu Yan recalled what the saint had said to him and sighed.
To be honest, coming to Yangzhou this time is really not a bad thing.
Some things that need to be said start from a year ago.
Since January last year, a large number of refugees have appeared near Yangzhou, not only refugees, but also endless bandits. The emperor became suspicious and sent some spies to Yangzhou.
At first, these spies were able to pass back some useful information, but later, it became all praise.
However, the unreasonable taxation and the increasing number of refugees and bandits undoubtedly showed that something was really wrong in Yangzhou.
The last spy of the Emperor died in Shou Xi Lake last month.
Before the spy died, he only sent back one sentence – in Yangzhou City today, no one is innocent or trustworthy, whether it is the governor, the county government, or even the governor’s palace in Danyang.
Yangzhou city officials protect each other and forcefully scrape away the people’s wealth, causing unbearable suffering for the people. What is truly puzzling is that this vast amount of real gold and silver is not in the hands of these officials.
Without evidence, it is impossible to know where the money went.
To plunder the wealth of a city, let alone such a prosperous city like Yangzhou, is by no means a small sum.
Such a fortune whose whereabouts are unknown can indeed make the Emperor sit on pins and needles.
Lu Yan frowned slightly, gently turned the ring on his hand, and then pulled out a map from a box.
He looked at it for a long time, and the more he looked at it, the more familiar the map became, as if he had seen it before.
He subconsciously looked at two places in the map and his heart sank inexplicably.
Is Yangzhou too close to the collapsed Chengxi Canal built by the Marquis of Yunyang?
…
